1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording apparatus which uses a recording head for forming an image on a recording medium or a reading head for reading an image formed on a recording medium.
2. Related Background Art
There has been a problem that a recording head, a reading head, or an electric circuit in the main body of the apparatus is damaged due to the static electricity accumulated on the hand of an operator when the operator places his hand on or touches the recording head, the reading head, or the vicinity thereof. There has also been a problem of the same kind due to the static electricity accumulated on a part of the operator's body or on the aforesaid head when the operator attaches or detaches the recording head or reading head to or from a supporting member which holds the head.
For example, an exchangeable recording head integrally formed with an ink tank for a recording apparatus of an ink jet type often exposes the portion where the recording head is coupled with the signal lines drawn from the main body of the apparatus on the occasion that such recording heads are to be exchanged. Despite the existence of this exposed coupling portion, the operator's hand inevitably approaches this portion when the recording heads are exchanged. As means for preventing this, there has been often provided a cover over this coupling portion so that the operator's hand does not touch the portion to be exposed for coupling.
However, the provision of this cover results in the increased number of parts, and disadvantageously raises the cost. In addition, although the number of parts does not increase considerably if the cover is structured so that it can be simply fixed, such a fixed type cover should be provided with the so-called shutter arrangement so that while the exposed portion is covered when the head is removed, the external cover member can be retracted in order to execute the required coupling when the head is mounted. In this case, the number of parts inevitably increases more, and the structure becomes more complicated. This is disadvantageous not only costwise, but also, in the maintenance of good quality of the product.